Not Over You
by ridiculouslyoptimistic
Summary: "Ally, you were the one that left." "Because you're so wrong for me!" she blurts out. He shrugs, not knowing how to respond and she knows he agrees, but she wishes he didn't. "But then again," she says softly, "Maybe that's what makes us so perfect for each other." Auslly.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is AU because I don't imagine Austin and Ally's relationship to be anything like this, but as always, songs were my inspiration and I thought these two kind of complemented each other well. It's just a two-shot about their views on their relationship and breakup. I hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

Loud, repeated banging wakes him from his sleep and he groans as he lifts head from the pillow. Wincing slightly at the sharp pain shooting through his head, he blinks to adjust to the dim lighting of his apartment as he looks at the clock.

The red numbers read 7:37 and he briefly wonders why he's being woken so early until he realizes it's actually evening. Wiping a stray line of drool from his cheek, he glances longingly at the empty bottle of Jack Daniels beside his bed before pushing himself to his elbows and sliding to the floor.

The knocking continues and he curses under his breath as he pads towards the door, swinging it open to find his utterly unimpressed best friend on the other side.

Dez looks him up and down before sighing heavily. "Why aren't you dressed yet? We're already running late."

Furrowing his brow, Austin rakes a hand through his hair. "What are you talking about?"

Rolling his eyes, Dez pushes his way into the apartment and surveys the mess. Shaking his head, he turns back to Austin, who has now shut the door and is blinking at his best friend in bewilderment.

"Tonight is Ally's album release party," Dez says slowly. "You've known about this for months."

"We're not dating anymore," Austin scoffs, shrugging as he walks by and plops down on the couch. "I don't have to go to that anymore."

"Austin," Dez sighs again, stepping in his best friend's line of vision and snatching the TV remote from his hand before he gets distracted. "You know how important this night is to Ally. Besides, you're not allowed to be upset with her."

Austin glares at Dez, crossing his arms over his chest. "She was the one who walked out."

Dez glares back pointedly. "And whose fault was that?"

Austin means to reply, but can't come up with a sufficient answer, so he rolls his eyes and lifts himself from the couch, heading to the bathroom to take a quick shower. He doesn't need to look back to know Dez is smiling triumphantly.

Fifteen minutes later, he's tightening his tie as they slip into the back seat of a hired car and speed towards the venue.

"Do you think things would have worked out if I was different?" he mumbles as he sinks against the plush leather.

Dez doesn't need a reference to know what he's talking about: the topic of Austin and Ally's breakup had been constantly discussed over the past few months.

"Different how?" Dez sighs, allowing his best friend this indulgence. Under normal circumstances, he would shut down this line of questioning immediately, but Austin looks particularly glum this evening, judging by the faint scent of whiskey, so he decides to let it go.

Austin shrugs. "Like maybe if I was sweeter, more affectionate. If I'd bought her flowers when it wasn't needed or jewelry or taken her shopping."

"But that's not you," Dez replies simply. "Ally knew that."

"Did she?" he asks, uncertain.

"Yes," Dez reassures him, "Besides, Ally never cared about any of those things. She just wanted you."

"And I couldn't even give her that," he mumbles as he stares out the window.

He gulps when they arrive and there's a large crowd of paparazzi waiting outside.

It's not the first time he's been in public since the breakup, but it is the first time they've been in the same place and he's bound to get asked questions. Questions he'd rather not answer.

Like what went wrong. But as he steps out of the car, he supposes the answer to that is simple.

Blinking to adjust to the flashing lights, he stretches his lips into that practiced smile and waves to the cameras, ignoring the wave of questions that follow as he makes his way down the red carpet.

_Why'd you and Ally break up?_

_Are you and Ally getting back together?_

_Are you guys going to stay friends?_

_What went wrong?_

It's none of their business, so he doesn't answer any of them as he finishes his obligatory pictures and walks into the venue. Once inside, he lets out a sigh of relief and shoots Dez a wary smile, but his heart drops. Hearing her name repeated was torture, each time it was spoken a dagger to the gut.

Regaining his composure, he adjusts his suit jacket around his shoulders and shoves his hands in his pockets as he and Dez walk inside. The party is already in full swing, as they are rather late and his eyes quickly scan the room for the guest of honor.

His gaze settles on her almost immediately. Even after seven months, he's drawn to her in almost a magnetic attraction. He can feel her presence in the room and it causes every one of his senses to be heightened in awareness.

She's standing near the small stage, talking animatedly to a throng of guests, who are hanging onto her every word. It's not really surprising, seeing as her voice had the same effect on him. Her hands are waving in the air because she talks using gestures and she's grinning from ear to ear, causing her entire face to light with joy.

His heart sinks as he watches her because he can't remember a time when he ever made her smile like that: contently and peacefully.

Taking a deep breath, he glances to the side to find Dez has gone off to talk to other guests and starts to walk slowly towards her. He approaches slowly and she sees him only when he's directly to her front, her smile faltering slightly as she wraps up her conversation.

"Austin," she greets him when the crowd disperses, raising her eyebrows in surprise. "You came."

He can't tell whether she's happy or upset that he's there, so he launches into an explanation. "You know I'll always support you, Ally. Even if we're not together."

As she nods, he thinks she almost looks sad, but decides that can't be the case and steps forward to pull her into a friendly hug. At least, that's what he hopes he's portraying, but as she wraps her arms around his waist and leans into his chest, his heart begins to hurt even more. Her warmth surrounds him, her comforting scent making him feel instantly happy and he suddenly realizes why he hasn't gotten a good night's sleep for the past seven months: because he can't sleep unless she's there.

"I'm proud of you, Ally," he says when she pulls away, much too soon for his liking.

She nods in gratitude and parts her lips to say something, but her attention is drawn by her manager, who announces it's time for her to give a speech. Shooting Austin an apologetic smile, she shrugs as she turns towards the stage, where she's joined by a man Austin doesn't recognize.

The newcomer is tall, with dark hair that's buzzed short and he smiles warmly as he stands beside Ally, looking at her fondly. Austin's hand clenches into a fist as he watches the man place a hand in the small of Ally's back before using the other one to help her onto the stage. She stretches her lips into a sweet smile before looking out at the crowd and clearing her throat.

Austin doesn't pay attention to her speech. He's too busy going through every possible explanation of the identity of this new man. And thinking means he's actually visualizing possible scenarios of killing said man without anyone noticing.

Ally finishes her speech and Austin claps politely as she steps off the stage and is escorted to the dance floor by the brunette man a few moments later. The pair slip easily into dancing form, Ally's arm around his neck and his around her waist as he holds their other hands close to his chest.

They talk easily, it seems, holding each other's gazes and laughing every so often. At first, Austin can hardly see as he's fueled with jealousy, but then he hears Ally's laughter and that familiar sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach returns.

Her head is thrown back, her eyes crinkled with joy and the smile on her face so bright that he swears it could power an entire planet. The knot in his stomach tightens and he suddenly wishes he hadn't already finished that entire bottle of whiskey as he comes to the sad realization that for the entire fourteen months that they dated, he had never made her produce that noise.

All they ever did was fight, which was strange because they hardly ever fought when they were just friends. But it turned out that being a couple only made them absolutely insane. Somewhere along the way, they lost track of why their friendship had worked so well in the first place.

Looking back, he realizes it's probably all his fault. When Ally suddenly became popular, it was as though he couldn't handle the fact that he was no longer the only famous one in the relationship and tried to distance himself from her. Of course she noticed, and eventually she couldn't take his enormous ego any longer and she left.

As he watches her smile happily, something strange happens: a weight lifts from his shoulders. Although he's sad and a little jealous, he's also slightly relieved because Ally looks happy. He doesn't know what he'll being doing in twenty years, but he does know that when all is said and done, he just wants Ally to be the happiest woman on the planet. And if that means she finds that happiness with another man, he'll just have to be ok with that.

Sighing, he walks quickly towards the dance floor, wrapping his fingers around Ally's upper arm and pulling her to the side once she's detached from her partner. He realizes it's unorthodox, but he needs to say what's on his mind before he loses the nerve.

"Austin," she furrows her brow in confusion, "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry," he blurts out.

The furrow deepens. "For what?"

"For everything," he admits. Letting go of her arm, he shoves his hands in his pockets and softens his expression. "When we were together, I was kind of awful. And I didn't realize it then because I was too caught up in my own ego, but I regret a lot of the things I did and said. I hate that we fought all the time and I just want you to know that I finally understand why you left. You deserve so much better than me, Ally. And it seems like you've finally found someone who will treat you right."

She stares at him utter bewilderment as he speaks, lips parted and gaping when he finishes. Blinking a few times, she shakes her head as though trying to retain the information. "Austin, we haven't spoken in months. Where is all this coming from?"

He realizes his apology is a little out of place seeing as the last time he'd seen her in public, he'd gone out of his way to ignore her. "I know. It's just…I was watching you dance earlier and you looked so happy and it's been a while since I've seen you like that."

There's a pause and she doesn't say anything.

"Does he make you happy, Ally?" he prods, just needing that final confirmation so he can move on. "Does he make you laugh?"

She searches for words before staring at him directly, her eyes lit with fire the way that he thinks is absolutely stunning. "He doesn't make me cry."

He accepts the response because he realizes it's probably the best he's going to get and nods, stepping forward to press a soft kiss to her cheek before backing away.

"I'm glad, Ally," he says quietly, "You deserve to be happy."

Before she can say anything else, he turns on his heel and walks towards the bar, deciding to drown his sorrows in alcohol.


	2. Chapter 2

Austin Moon is the bane of her existence.

From the moment she met him, she knew he was going to make her life difficult and despite the fact that they're no longer dating, he hasn't stopped.

The smug bastard told her he was happy for her and then just walked away. They dated for nearly a year and a half and he chose the previous night to be mature and understanding. How dare he.

It irks her to no end that he still has the ability to rile her up. She should be over it; she should have moved on, but instead she's seeing red as she thinks about her conversation with Austin rather than paying attention to anything Luke is saying.

Luke.

She sighs softly as she nods, tuning out his words. She feels bad, really, because Luke is the epitome of a nice guy. He's sweet and honest and caring and considerate and pretty much the antithesis of everything Austin was, but she's still not happy.

Still, she doesn't show it.

Luke came into her life unexpectedly and was a refreshing change from a frustrating relationship. He never let her go out of her mind waiting for him to call or allows her to worry at all. They never disagree because he agrees with everything she says and he swept her parents of their feet the very first time they met. Even Trish was impressed.

On paper, he's perfect. But Ally still can't shake the feeling that something is missing.

Or maybe that's the problem. She's not feeling anything.

Because for all his faults, that was the one thing Austin did do: he made her feel.

Whether it was anger or frustration or pain or sadness or happiness or pure joy, it didn't matter. In fact, she often wondered if the reason their relationship was so difficult was because she'd had trouble processing so many emotions at the same time.

With Austin, every day was like a roller coaster. One moment, they were laughing hysterically as they were cuddling on the couch and the next they were standing on opposite sides of the room screaming at each other. She was never quite sure how that transition happened, but it was always inevitable.

But despite the fact that they fought constantly, they couldn't stay away from each other. Their attraction was magnetic, pulling them together and making it impossible to be apart.

And as she tunes out Luke's words, she's suddenly struck with flashbacks of how things used to be. Of how Austin would surprise her and challenge her. Of how he could make her feel like she was flying one minute and as though she'd had her heart ripped out the next.

It was insane, the way their relationship worked, but as she mindlessly nods along to Luke's speech, she realizes that it was real. She and Austin were never broken. They might have been complicated and frustrating, but he set her soul on fire; a feeling that Luke couldn't recreate.

So when Luke says, "I think we should break up," her interest is finally peaked.

Eyes wide in surprise, she looks at him curiously, pausing for a moment before realizing he's waiting for her to have some sort of reaction. The only trouble is, she doesn't feel anything.

Not anger, not sadness, not regret, not even happiness or relief. Nothing. She's empty and she wonders if he can tell that the smile her lips have been stretched into was contrived this whole time.

She nods, trying to act sad, but in reality she's thinking that there's someone else she needs to see. So she hugs him goodbye, her lips forced downward into a frown until he walks out the door.

Once he's gone, she pulls her phone from her purse and calls Austin's best friend.

"Dez, I need to know where he is," she says as soon as he picks up.

"Why?" Dez asks in confusion. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," she insists, "Now tell me where he is."

Sighing, Dez gives her the information and she hurries out of the café. Twenty minutes later, she's showing her ID to the guard at the studio and she scurries inside, weaving her way towards the back recording booth that she knows he prefers.

He's sitting on a stool, strumming a guitar as he hums to himself, preparing to record.

She bursts into the room not exactly knowing what to say, so she goes with the first words she can think of.

"You're an asshole, you know that?"

He blinks in confusion, frowning slightly. "Ally? What the hell are you doing here?"

She can already feel her blood boiling and her eyes flashing and despite the fact that she knows they're about to scream at each other, she can't help but feel relieved. It seems she is capable of emotion after all, but only when she's with Austin.

For the first time in a long time, she feels alive, a feeling she'd only felt two other times the previous night: when Austin had hugged her and kissed her goodbye. It's strange how his touch can awaken her senses and she finds it sad that she can't remember the last time Luke elicited an emotion from her that wasn't complete indifference.

Bristling with anger, she stands up straighter. "Why would you do that? Why would you tell me that you're sorry and you're happy for me? How could you be so selfish?"

His lips part in bewilderment. "What are you talking about? Are you saying that you would rather I be upset?"

She's actually not sure what she wants. She hadn't thought past bursting in to see him and she now realizes she has no idea why she's here.

It was that magnetic attraction again; a few minutes of thinking about him and she'd ended up confronting him for no reason whatsoever.

"No," she sighs heavily, rolling her eyes. "You're so frustrating."

"I'm frustrating?" he gapes, setting down his guitar and standing to continue their argument. "You're the one who barged in here and started yelling at me."

"Maybe I wouldn't have to yell if you actually listened to me for once," she snaps back.

"What exactly am I supposed to be getting from this conversation?" he asks, apparently reaching his limit of tolerance.

"That I'm really fucking in love with you."

There's silence and she stares at him defiantly, waiting for him to react. He's gazing at her wide eyed, his lips parting and closing like a fish until he finally speaks.

"Ally, you were the one that left."

"Because you're so wrong for me!" she blurts out.

He shrugs, not knowing how to respond and she knows he agrees, but she wishes he didn't.

"But then again," she says softly, "Maybe that's what makes us so perfect for each other."

Once again, he says nothing, so she takes a deep breath and continues.

"You're insane, Austin. You're wild and crazy and irritating and arrogant and egocentric and oblivious and complicated and-"

"Gee, Alls, you're really stroking my ego here," he cuts in.

"You're all of those things, Austin," she sighs, "But despite everything, you make me better. You challenge me and make me strive for more. And yes, we argue a lot and half the time I want to kill you, but I like who I am with you. It's because of you that I've learnt to be strong and fearless and I need that. I need you."

"You never lost me, Ally," he whispers, taking a step closer. "I know I really messed up when we were dating and there's so many things I wish I could have done differently, but all I've ever wanted is to make you happy."

"You do," she smiles softly, "You also make me angry and sad and irritated beyond belief, but I couldn't ask for anything better."

He furrows his brow in confusion. "I don't understand. Those don't sound like good things."

"But they are," she smiles softly. "You make me feel, Austin. And isn't that the point of living? To feel every emotion possible and absorb and appreciate all of them?"

"What about the guy? The one you were with yesterday?" he asks hesitantly, despite the fact that he steps forward one more time, leaving almost no gap between them.

Her heart is racing as it always does in his presence and she's tingling to touch him, but she resists. "We broke up."

"I'm sorry. Are you alright?" he asks, though his tone isn't at all apologetic.

"I would be if you'd shut up and kiss me," she snaps back.

He chuckles lowly, leaning down and brushing his lips lightly over hers as he speaks. "Have I ever told you that you're a pain in the ass?"

She scrunches her nose, causing it to hit his gently. "It's really too bad you're stuck with me, then."

Rather than reply, he finally presses their lips together and as she melts into his chest and tangles her fingers into his hair she remembers why she fell in love with him in the first time. It was because when things were good, it was like she was flying. And although the lows were awful, she can't help but feel that they only made the relationship that much better.

Because the constant turmoil only made them work for it more, made them try harder to be better for each other. So she smiles against his mouth as every nerve end in her body lights on fire and she decides to give in and enjoy the ride.


End file.
